The Pirate Flag
by Otaku-TACO
Summary: After 'Lovely Land' or 'Don Acchino' Arc; Ch 1: Luffy knows that the crew lied to him about the flag, how does he react? Ch 2: How the crew responds to what they had just done (Different version from the first chapter). Ch 3: Epilogue(Final Chapter!) HAPPY BIRTHDAY LUFFY!
1. A Captain's Hesitation

**Title: A Captain's Hesitation**

**After Don Achino Arc**

It was nighttime. It was dark and a bit cold and everyone was sleeping. Well…_almost _everyone. Despite wearing himself out in multiple ways and desperately needing sleep Luffy was up. Usually Luffy would be sleeping considering that he didn't like being on watch duty but he had insisted on it tonight. There were multiple protests from his crew-mainly from their doctor-but Luffy demanded it. Saying they deserved the rest and that he _wanted _to take the shifts. And when Luffy wanted something there was no stopping him from getting it. Thus, Luffy is on watch duty.

Luffy was standing in the middle of the grassy deck of the Sunny, looking around and examining his surroundings carefully. Eyes lingering and narrowing everytime he thought he may have seen something, only for him to relax and move on a moment later when he realized it nothing to worry about. After a good half an hour of that, he sighed. He looked around once more, briefer but still just as cautious, if not more so. When he was done, he nodded slightly to himself before climbing up to the watch tower. He paused at the door before reaching up above; fingers searching for a hand hold. When they found one he quickly and silently pulled himself up to the roof. He quickly moved so that he was near the center, next to the pole that proudly held their pirate flag.

For a moment all he did was stare at the flag. Examining it carefully and taking in each detail, committing it all to exact memory. Then he sighed again. Moving and positioning himself so that his back was leaning against the pole on the opposite side of where the flag was tied. He looked up into the dark sky. The millions of stars in the sky shining only bright enough for Luffy to make out a few things in the distance. There was no moon tonight.

Looking down again, Luffy titled his hat so that it covered and hide his face. He sighed again and folded his arms behind his head. It was quiet again. The only sounds were an occasional wave hitting against the hull. Then he spoke. It was a quiet and soft whisper that was unusual for the very loud and rambunctious teenager and anyone who heard it would've done a double take.

"Ne, Sunny…Do you think this counts as mutiny?"

There was no answer. He continued.

"Do you think I've been a bad captain? All captains should have respect from their crew so…have I been a bad a captain?" His voice becoming small "A crew that respects their captain wouldn't do something like this would they? If a captain is a bad captain then the crew doesn't respect him right? So…I've been…a bad captain…" his voice cracked and he had to bite his lip against the pressure that was building up behind his eyes. "…Right?"

It was quiet again as recent memories of running after his crew flashed at the front of Luffy's mind. Memories of him pausing. Of him watching with wide eyes as his crew sent Usopp flying towards the ship with the flag. Of them tying it on and then telling him it had been there all along when he finally caught up with them. And then memories of him just staring at them for moment before _smiling_. Smiling and _apologizing_.

He couldn't hold back the pressure anymore. Biting down on his lip until he tasted an all too familiar metallic, and yet slightly sweet taste of blood, he let a few tears rolled down. He deserved it all right? He was a bad captain wasn't he? This kind of treachery is normal when a crew has a bad captain isn't it? So why did he feel so hurt? Why did it hurt so much? Maybe he just _finally_ realized his crew really _didn't_ need him. Didn't _want_ him. But hadn't Usopp asked to come back? Begged to in fact? And hadn't Zoro demanded respect for him? Hadn't Robin pleaded for him to take her back to sea with them in front the _entire_ Enies Lobby and CP9?

So then...why?

The tears flowed more insistently and blood was starting to drip down his chin. Blood and tears were starting to make an odd mixture in his lap. Luffy had always thought that blood and tears were an odd mixture together. They were different but they both something you might shed and sacrifice for someone or something. And that reminded Luffy of his crew. They were all an odd mixture when put together but Luffy would sacrifice anything for them. They were his nakama. His crew. His _family_.

_And you're their bad captain..._

_More tears and blood._

Luffy stayed like that for a while longer. Crying, bleeding and drowning in self-loathing and something else he couldn't quite place. After that, he rubbed the drying blood off his chin and tears from his eyes. He looked up and noticed that everyone would be getting up soon. That is, if the sun starting to peak out in sky was any indication. Had he really been there for that long? It felt like seconds ago that he climbed up here. It was a bit surreal.

Luffy rose onto slightly unsteady feet and made his way carefully to the grassy deck of the Sunny. He made his way to the bathroom, determined not to look as pathetic as he felt. He washed his face and looked in the mirror. His eyes were red-rimmed and slightly bloodshot and there was a minor gash on his lower lip. Luffy sighed knowing there would questions. Then he stifled a yawn. He needed sleep. Yeah, sleep...he'd look normal again after a nice long nap. So, making up his mind that there was no other way out, Luffy headed towards the Men's quarters, head down in case he ran into anyone who decided to wake up extra early. He paused in the entrance of the sleeping room, looking over his present crewmates. Luffy couldn't help but wonder what they thought of him, what he was to them. His crewmates were some of the few people on Earth whose opinions could affect him in any way so he couldn't help wonder. But if yesterday was anything to judge by...

Luffy was starting to feel quite nostalgic. A dry smile made its way to face as he walked over to his bed. Sleep took him over quicker than expected as he slipped into a slightly nightmare-ish sleep.


	2. A Moment Of Weakness

_**Title: A Moment of Weakness**_

_**Rating: K+**_

_**Genre: Friendship/Nakama-ship, Slight Angst**_

_**After: Don Achino Arc**_

_***LINE***_

_The pirate flag._

The pride of a pirate. The idea of actually trying to be a pirate or a pirate crew without having a flag is unheard of and would be completely shameful. You could never be official without it.

But aside from a pirate's pride and joy, the flag is also a symbol of faith. Faith for both crew and captain. It shows the faith and respect they have for each other. To go against the captain or the crew- or just a crewmate- would be to lose the faith and respect you have for your own flag. It's an iron code for pirates. Every pirate knows it.

But if this was true…then why did Luffy feel so cheated?

_***LINE***_

They had just defeated Don Achino a few hours ago; everyone was finally able to relax now. Of course being pirates they could never completely relax in case a marine ship decided to make an appearance. (Or at least a majority still kept their guard up enough to be prepared). After returning to their ship and saying goodbye to the Phoenix pirates, the crew only had time to get some food into him (not that it was usually a problem unless you're talking about how much) before Luffy collapsed from exhaustion. He had over-used his _Gear Second _and was virtually exhausted from it. But they didn't mind. They had committed a major felony even for pirates so tucking him in was the least they could do.

They had _lied_ to their _captain _about their _flag being stolen_.

It was one thing to lie, but about the flag? It was shameful. The only one who had an excuse was Chopper. He technically didn't lie. Everyone else just covered his mouth to prevent Luffy from finding out. He still didn't tell Luffy after they let him go though. He had considered it but decided against it. So he kept his mouth shut. Not lying but not telling the truth either.

_**They were disgusting.**_

For all that man had done for them, sacrificed for them, lost for them, they had gone against him. Betrayed him. Turned on him.

_**Lied to him.**_

He didn't deserve it. He hadn't earned it. They weren't worthy. They didn't deserve him. They hadn't earned the kindness of his heart. They hadn't _earned _it.

_**For all he'd done for them…**_

_He didn't have to untie the stranger from the post. The man he'd only just heard of. But he saw something more than that in the man. Saw more than the demon people saw him as. So he untied him. Helped him. _Saved _him. So the stranger swore himself to the man. To be forever loyal unless the man tried to get in the way of his dream._ But he didn't get in the way of his dream did he? No. Then why lie? Why the sudden disloyalty? Hadn't he sworn himself to the man? And wasn't he just demanding respect for that exact same man less than a week ago? If so…then why?

_She was just a lowly pirate thief with a special skill in navigation. She wasn't even very strong. But he saw something in her too. So she'd made a mutual sorta-agreement with the man. But when she had tried to leave he came after her, and no matter how much she tried to make him _leave her alone_, he never did. But did she really want him to? It doesn't matter. He _freed_ her. Freed her village, her home…_Bellemere_… she went with him after that. How could she not? She owed it to him. She owed him her life._ So then why did she lie? It's true she stayed behind to help but that was also to make sure the others had enough time to put the plan in progress. She was even the one who came up with the idea to lie! Doesn't she owe him her life? Hadn't he helped free everyone? Why betray the man she owed it all to?

_A liar who liked to play pretend pirate with a trio of small children. Now how did he see anything there? It was kinda easy when you looked past all that though. He was good with a slingshot and had a good heart. He wanted the liar to live. So he helped save the liar's village and the people in it. He even forgave him when he acted stupid and left the crew. And wasn't he just ecstatic over that? _So then why? Hadn't he _just_ gotten back after that whole '_incident_'? Weren't things still a bit tender on the topic (of Merry mainly) despite the apology? Who was he to do something such as _lie _to him so soon after all that?

_An overly-violent, romantic of a first class cook. That was all he really was when it came down to it right. He didn't have to help him save the old fart's dream. But he did. He even took him out to sea. Helped him realize that it wasn't right of him to stifle his dream like he was doing. Helped him realize that the old fart hadn't saved him only for him to do _this _to himself. He helped him chase after something that he had long since put aside for something else. He helped him dream again. And isn't that kinda like giving someone their purpose?_ So why lie to the man that gave him his purpose? What right did he have to do something like that to the man who gave him a reason again?

_He was just a lonely monster. He didn't have to save him. Didn't have to save doctor's flag or the country or the castle. He didn't have to offer him a home, family and friends. He didn't have to help heal what he thought could not be healed. He didn't have to. He really didn't have to. But he did. And suddenly the monster wasn't so lonely. And wasn't such a monster. And wasn't that just perfect?_ So why ruin what's perfect? Lie or did not lie, what difference does it make? He didn't tell him the truth did he? No, he didn't. So what did it matter? You can try to mask it however way you want but a betrayal was still a betrayal after all, right?

_She was a demon to world. Everyone scorned her and mocked her very existence. Told her she had no right to live, and eventually, she started to believe them. What right did she have? She had no one anymore. Maybe she _should _just die. But no._He_ didn't think she was a demon. He saw her as precious nakama. He barged in and broke down all her walls that she spent years building up. Even when she tried to leave it was too late. When she put up her last wall. The hardest one to pass and yet he still knocked it down. Melted decades worth of ice built up around a shriveled, broken and scarred heart and for the first time in a very long time, she felt _warm_…so very warm. And wasn't that just the happiest moment of her life? _So why jeopardize such happiness? Wasn't this still the same man who had, not even a month ago, declared war on the entire world government just for her? Who had pushed him himself far beyond even _his_ limits to the point of immobilization, just for her freedom? Was this not the very same man who had put more than everything on the line for a demon? And if so, why?

_He was just a cyborg with a dream he was trying to make a reality. And in the progress of making this dream a reality, hadn't he beaten the long-nosed guy into a bloody pulp and stole 200,000,000 Beri from him too? And hadn't the man disliked him as well? So why would you save and help someone you dislike? Why would you help that someone fulfill their lifelong dream if you have a grudge against them? _But then again, why would you go against that very same person after they _still_ do such SUPER things for you? He had barely been with them for a week for crying out loud! _So _not SUPER man…

The main question to all of them was 'Why?'. Why did they lie? Why betray him? Why? Because they didn't want to be scolded by a so called idiot? Or maybe because they just didn't want to admit that they let their guard down so much that some weirdo bounty hunters were able to steal something as precious as their flag. Or maybe they were just didn't respect their captain enough to tell him the truth…

When that answer popped into their heads it dawned on them that maybe, just maybe, it might be true. You board any other pirate ship you would never see the crew abusing their captain like they did to theirs on a daily basis. Wouldn't see any other crewmate call their captain an idiot and beat him up when they thought he was being stupid (whether or not he was or wasn't). But since when did they care? Since when did he care? He never seemed bothered by any of it. But no matter how new you were to the crew or not, they should all know well enough by now that when it came to their captain, bad liar or not, looks were _very_ deceiving.

So after tucking in their exhausted captain and finishing dinner, they all stayed in the kitchen. They were all silent, staring at something before switching their gazes somewhere else, trying to keep their minds off of what they had done. The only sounds were of Sanji washing the dishes and when he soon finished with that and stood close by, leaning on the counter, the only sounds were soft sounds of small waves slapping against the hull. Small waves slapping against the hull and snoring. A slightly distant and quiet (ish) sound of snoring emanating from their slumbering captain. That did _not _help them deal with the surprising amount of guilt they felt over their actions.

"G-guys?"

Surprisingly enough, Chopper was the one to break the silence first. Of course he flinched slightly when everyone turned their gazes on him. "W-why exactly did you, um, _we_ not tell Luffy about the flag?" he asked timidly.

There it was again. That word. _Why_. They were getting really tired of _why_'s. But either way they all thought for a moment on how to answer that question. Although _they_ could barely answer it for themselves yet alone someone else.

Nami was the one to answer the question. "Because he would scold us if he found out." That was true. Luffy _would _scold them if he found out and it _was _one of the initial reasons they wanted to get the flag back quickly aside from the obvious reasons.

"But won't Luffy scold us even worse if he finds out?"

Ah, touché. That was true. That was _very_ true actually. But _now_ what do they say to that. No one was sure so they all stayed silent. They stayed like that until they all finally decided that is was time for bed, each going to their individual places of rest before falling into a long, guilt-ridden slumber.


	3. Epilogue

The next day was basically just another day on the Strawhats' ship. There were fights (Zoro and Sanji), members goofing off (Luffy, Chopper, Usopp, and Franky), reading (Robin), doing their job and/or yelling at people (Nami)…like I said, just another day on the Strawhat ship…

Or at least that's how it looked to an outsider.

The tense atmosphere was obvious. Or, at least it seemed that way to the crew. The guilt was still surprisingly heavy on all their shoulders. While it was obvious that it wouldn't just go away overnight they all had hoped that it might at least lessen a bit. Naturally they were wrong. If anything, it felt heavier.

But that couldn't be right. Could it? They were acting normal, nothing had happened, Luffy was still oblivious; how could they feel worse? Or maybe it was _because_ of all of that that they felt worse. It wasn't impossible. They were push overs when it came to their captain really. Why would this situation _not_ affect them like this?

And there it was again.

That word.

'_Why?_'

_Why_ did they lie? _Why_ were they pretending? _Why_ didn't they just tell the truth? _Why_ did they feel like dirt whenever Luffy smiled at any of them now? _Why_ did they think this was a good idea? _Why_ were they enduring all this pain over something so trivial, especially when they could just get it all out and over with?

But maybe it wasn't so trivial. It really was a big thing after all. They'd been over that a thousand and odd times in their heads already.

_It was the god damn flag for Christ's sake!_

What disrespectful idiot does that?! And to their own captain who they owe so much to too! They really were unworthy…

So, from that day on, if Nami hit Luffy a little gentler when he did something stupid that could've gotten himself killed; if Sanji cooked Luffy's favorites more often, or even gave him a little more food at each meal- just because he knows how much he likes his cooking; if Usopp tried just _a bit_ harder to make Luffy smile and laugh-just because Luffy only looks like _Luffy_ when he smiles and laughs; if Chopper used a little more than necessary of his medicine on Luffy to make sure he healed quicker- because he _knows_ that Luffy _hates_ being sick and restrained; if Franky made sure to check the ship 5 times a day, just so he could make sure that the 2nd Pirate King's ship was still in perfect condition for their continued voyage; if Robin shared a bit more of her food with Luffy than usual, or helped him understand things a bit more even if it wasn't necessary- just because she _knows_ how he _hates_ feeling left out; or even if Zoro was a bit more watchful and protective of Luffy, diving in a bit sooner because he _knows_ Luffy _hates_ near-drowning; if they all tried just a little bit _harder_ to feel like they had _earned_ their right to be on this ship, to feel like they all had a right to call themselves a pirate-no…to call themselves a _Strawhat_ pirate… If they all did that…could you really blame them?

…_But if they were to pay just a little bit more attention… then they'd notice that their captain was doing the exact same thing as them…_

* * *

**Okay! There! I've updated and now you have another chapter! If you all want more then send me ideas 'cause I'm out! Got it? I'm done! I have other things to work on but I'm willing to do more if I get ideas. I might just get my own though…I didn't plan to update but the idea just hit me while I was washing dishes so there! This was my first multi-chapter story and it turned out rather well huh? Shout outs to:**

***Kaoru likes One Piece- I **_**loved**_** your story on this topic! It was awesome! And thanks for the review!**

***saltandburnit- Thanks for the whole 'I demand more!' thing. It was the first time I got it (from someone **_**not**_** threatening me) and I was really flattered so, thanks!**

***IceMaize- Thanks for both the compliment and demand!**

**And thanks to everyone else who reviewed, favorited and followed! You're all pretty awesome yourselves! Thanks and, until next time! Stay beautifully lovely!**


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